Silk Road Bayram celebrates with Turkic culture

IU alumni Josh Davis said he was obsessed with physics in junior high.
Davis looked up to physicist Richard Feynman and studied not only his research, but also the man’s life.

One day, Davis discovered a small detail that affected him in a big way: Feynman was a fan of overtone singing.

“Overtone singing uses the shape of your vocal anatomy to bring out different overtones by changing the mouth shape,” Davis said. “There are a number of styles, most Mongolian, Tibetan and Tuva.”

Davis’ love for overtone singing is what led him to a festival celebrating those cultures this week.

IU’s Inner Asian and Uralic National Resource Center and Silk Road Institute hosted the 19th annual Silk Road Bayram on Wednesday in Alumni Hall.

The festival highlighted the diverse culture and musical traditions of the Silk Road, a massive, 4,000 mile trading route that connected much of Asia with the Mediterranean world.

Organizers said they hoped the festival would promote cross-cultural cooperation, scholarship and understanding about the regions in this zone.

About 200 people attended the Silk Road Bayram and witnessed international artists perform.

“It’s interesting to show people Mongolia, it’s not a part of the world people think about often,” IU senior Andrew Davis said.

Davis introduced visitors to Shagai, a popular Mongolian game played by flicking sheep ankle bones. Davis described it as similar to marbles or dominoes.
“I hope to peak people’s interest,” Davis said. “Mongolia is still a nomadic culture, and it’s a lot different from the world here. A lot different than America.”

Davis is currently enrolled in IU’s Summer Workshop for Slavic, East European and Central Asian Languages (SWSEEL). Many of the Silk Road Bayram attendees were SWSEEL students and professors.

Fatima Moldashova, a SWSEEL instructor, displayed homemade Kazakh rugs at the event.

“Not many people, like tourists, know the whole of Kazakh culture and art,” Moldashova said. “I’m here to promote it.”

The rugs were made from sheep and camel fur and were intricately patterned with traditional Kazakh designs.

“They’re incredibly thick and strong,” said Sarah Paulsworth, one of Moldashova’s SWSEEL students. 

“These handmade rugs are disappearing from Kazakh culture,” Paulsworth said. “Tonight is a great opportunity to interact with other people from other countries and see the traditional items from each culture.”

The traditional instruments Ud, Tar and Qubuz were also displayed.

The Silk Road Ensemble played folk music representative of the region, and Simin Sabri presented a colorful dance recital. A fashion show was held at the end of the night.

“This draws on the incredible wealth at IU, on campus and in the community,” Karen Newman, assistant director of the festival, said. “It’s an amalgam of cultures, and music brings all this together.”